A deep depression over the Arabian Sea has intensified into a storm – ‘Vayu’. The storm is anticipated to make landfall on the Gujarat coast on the morning of June 13 (Thursday), reported India Meteorological Department (IMD).
The IMD’s has further mentioned that the storm is likely to morph into a severe cyclonic storm with winds gusting up to 135 kmph. The cyclone Vayu at present is at 340 km south of Veraval and is likely to move northwards and cross Gujarat coast between Porbandar and Mahuva around Veraval & Diu region with wind speed 110-120 kmph.
Devbhoomi Dwarka, Rajkot, Diu, Gir Somnath, Bhavnagar, Junagarh, Devbhoomi, and Kutch districts are to suffer the worst. The IMD has warned “Rooftops may blow off and unattached metal sheets may fly” in its bulletins. The storm is expected to weaken after landfall and will bring widespread rain over Saurashtra and Kutch.
Gujarat is on high alert to tackle the cyclone. Gujarat CM Vijay Rupani has advised people living in the coastal belt to shift to a safer place. He said that the entire coastline from Kutch to south Gujarat has been put on high alert. Around 3 lakh people from Gujarat and Diu will be hauled to safe shelters by the state authorities.
The state government has strictly asked the fishermen to not venture into the sea for the next few days. The ports in the state have been instructed to place danger signals. In all the ports, power generators have been installed.
Airports in Rajkot, Porbandar and Bhuj will remain shut on June 12. The Additional Chief Secretary Pankaj Kumar after a review meeting with officials has ordered to keep schools, Anganwadis, and college shut on June 12 and 13.
He also mentioned that his cabinet ministers will pay a visit to various districts to review the relief and rescue operations.
The chief secretary, JN Singh in Gandhinagar, held a video conference with district administration to discuss the precautionary steps to slacken the impact of the cyclone. Singh while responding to reporters said that they had mapped all the “vulnerable” areas and are ready to respond to the situation that may arise. He also said that people are informed and updated about the cyclone through loudspeakers, text and WhatsApp messages.
The newly elected Union Home Minister, Amit Shah in Delhi held a review meeting with officials for the cyclone. He had directed the officials not to compromise on people’s safety in the state. In the meeting, he asked the official to make sure all the essential services such as drinking water, telecommunications, power, and health are made available 24*7 and if damaged can be restored easily.
The state government has hailed Army, Coast guard, the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), and other agencies for rescue operations. As of now, 26 NDRF teams comprising of 45 personnel each have been deployed. All the teams are provided with boats, telecom equipment, and tree-cutters to expedite the rescue process. More 10 NDRF teams are requested to join the rescue operation. 11 State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) will also be deployed. Around 20 platoons of State Reserved Police is ready to be deployed whenever required, assured Director General of Police, Shivanand Jha. The officials are in touch with the Odisha government, to learn their disaster management techniques used to deal with Cyclone Fani, recently.
Also Read: Cyclone Fani-Ravaged Odisha: A Lot Done, A Lot More Remains
